Access and protective cover for valves, meters, manholes and the like



March 20, 1962 H. G. BUSH 3,025,774

ACCESS AND PROTECTIVE COVER FOR VALVES, METERS, MANHOLES AND THE LIKE Filed May 9, 1958 12 1/ J6 Z2 H60 50 INVENTOR.

fifowqeo 0, Busy li M 6 //M.)

United States Patent 3,025,774 ACCESS AND PROTECTIVE COVER FOR VALVES, METERS, MANHOLES AND THE LIKE Howard G. Bush, Arcadia, Calif., assignor to Brooks groducts, Inc., El Monte, Calif a corporation of Caliornia Filed May 9, 1958, Bar. No. 734,307 1 Claim. (CI. 9434) This invention relates to protective cover structures for use on boxes that extend into the ground and have upper surfaces flush with the ground level. Such boxes may be used in connection with valves, meters, survey markers, subterranean or other access holes, and the like. Such boxes are usually made of concrete or cement, and the lid or cover is usually a metal casting.

In the past, covers for boxes of this character that were used in streets often form sources of considerable annoyance from the standpoint of noise. Very often manhole covers will produce bothersome noises when an automobile or truck passes over them. Covers for meter boxes or valve boxes are often interesting playthings for children, who will take particular delight in tilting their weight on the cover for the purpose of eliciting a strange or reverberant noise or for simply obtaining a teetertotter sensation.

Providing a perfect seat for a lid or cover or for a protective casing for a box sufiicient to avoid these nuisances has, in the past, been a considerable if not impossible task. In many cases, even though tolerances are accurately maintained, slight deterioration or wear of parts may cause misalignment and improper seating. Furthermore, the tilting is inherent in many types of closure structures, whether or not manufacturing tolerances are maintained.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a new cover or box structure, for valves, meters, or for access holes to subterranean installations, that maintains a proper seating relationship and that refuses to tilt despite wear. In carrying out this invention, use is made of a three-point suspension for a cover implemented by a triangular configuration of the cover itself in contradistinction to the usual circular or rectangular configuration. The fulcrum points lie substantially at the outer boundary of the cover; hence, there is no possibility for tilting the cover about any axes passing through any two of the supporting points. Any force exerted on the cover will tend to seat the cover, and there will be no tilting or noisemaking movements.

Some automobile tires tend to lift covers despite perfect seating. This is due to a suction effect. Another object of this invention is to ensure against such undesired lifting of a triangular cover structure.

Another object of this invention is to provide a simple device of this character that can be economically manufactured.

This invention possesses many other advantages, and has other objects which may be made more clearly apparent from a consideration of one embodiment of the invention. For this purpose, there is shown a form in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the present specification. This form will now be described in detail, illustrating the general principles of the inven tion; but it is to be understood that this detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, since the scope of this invention is best defined by the appended claim.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view illustrating the frame structure with a cover in place;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but illustrating the frame with the cover removed, a corner of the frame being broken away and shown in section;

ice

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view, taken along a plane indicated by line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view, taken along a plane indicated by line 4--4 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is a pictorial view of the cover structure shown, in this instance, in inverted position for purposes of clarity.

In the present instance, there is illustrated by way of example in FIG. 3 a concrete casing 10 for a meter, valve or the like. Secured to the casing 10 is a frame 12 of cast iron or the like which forms an upper facing. The casing 10 is molded about the frame 12, whereby a unitary structure is provided.

The frame 12 provides a face plate 16 that coincides with the level of the surrounding ground, as at 11. The plate 16 has centrally inscribed therein a triangular recess 18. Bounding the recess 18 are three triangularly arranged, vertically depending flange elements 20 forming the sides of a triangle. Extending outwardly from the flanges 20 and beneath the face plate 16 are vertical lugs 21 (FIGS. 2 and 3) which are embedded in the upper end of the casing 10. Rods 13, passing through apertures 15 in the lugs, are surrounded by the concrete casing 10, and prevent endwise separation of the frame 12 from the casing 10.

Arcuate reinforcing lugs 19 (FIG. 2) at the outer corners of the flanges 20 also become embedded at the upper end of the casing. A cover 22 (FIG. 5), also made of cast iron or the like, has a peripheral, triangularly prismatic configuration, as at 23, which is adapted to fit within the recess 18 at the flanges 20. The corners of the cover 23 and frame flanges 20 are rounded slightly.

Across each corner of the frame flanges 20, and at the lower portions thereof, there is formed a horizontal ledge or seat 25 (FIGS. 2 and 3). Together the seats 25 form a three-point suspension for the corners of the prismatic frame of the cover 22. Since the seats 25 are of small area and cooperate only with the very corners of the cover 22, it is impossible to apply any torque, as by a downward vertical force, to the cover that tends to move the cover upwardly about any of the three horizontal axes between any two of the seats 25. On the contrary, any force in a downward vertical direction applied to the cover will tend to urge the cover firmly into engagement with each of the seats 25.

Each of the seats 25, as shown in FIG. 2, is bounded in a direction toward the central axis 28 of the box by a line 25a. This line is located close to the corresponding apex defined by the opening 13. Minor surface variations at the seats 25 will thus have virtually no effect upon the existence of a clearly defined three-point suspension.

Extending downwardly and inwardly from the lower edges of the frame flanges 20 are sloping wall sections 30, arranged as sides of an inverted triangular pyramid, converging toward the axis 28. The walls 3t) on their under sides are contacted, as at 31, by the casing 10. The pyramidal wall sections 30 each terminate laterally at the intersection of the seat edges 25a with the flanges 20.

The pyramidal walls 30 are intersected by a concentric opening 32, the horizontal projection of which is circular and tangent to the triangular recess 18 of the frame. The opening 32 is large enough to provide access to the chamber 14 defined by the casing 10. Walls 34, extending inwardly and downwardly from the seat edges 25a, join side edges of the pyramidal wall sections 30, thus rein-forcing the seats 25. The wall sections 30 and 34 form a hopper, the base of which is secured to the frame flanges 20. Foreign accumulations slide over the sloping walls 30 and 34 to the opening 32. Proper cooperation of the cover 22 with the seats 25 is thus ensured.

The cover 22 has three depending arcuate lugs 39 equiangularly arranged about a cylindrical rim 41 inscribed within the prismatic peripheral portion 23 of the cover. Ribs 44 join the corners of the prismatic portion 23 to the rim 41 for reinforcing purposes. The lugs 39 are guidingly received within the generally circular opening 32 and facilitate placement of the cover 22 by ensuring against tilting of the cover immediately preceding seating. The lugs 39 are located between the cover corners so that they do not interfere with the hopper action of the frame adjacent the seats 25, and as shown in FIG. 1. The lugs, in addition, reinforce the cover, but, more important, prevent tire suction from lifting the cover 12. Thus, such suction-type force will in general have at least some horizontal component in addition to an upward vertical component. Such forces tend to tilt the cover 22. The lugs 39, by virtue of the fact that they are extended vertically and by virtue of the fact that they fairly closely fit the opening 32, immediately bind at the circular opening 32 in response even to slight tilting. The binding, of course, resists any displacement of the cover, ensuring separation of the cover from the tire.

Upon the upper side of the prismatic peripheral portion 23 of the cover 22 is a plate 43 that cooperates with the face plate 16 of the frame to protect the opening of the casing 10.

Centrally formed in the plate 43 of the cover 22 is a rectangular opening 45 which facilitates lifting of the cover by a portable operator carried, for example, by a maintenance man or meter reader. The cover 22 may, however, be frozen by mud or other deposits. To loosen the cover, two access recesses 47 and '49 are provided, adjoining two sides of the triangular opening 18 in the frame 12. As shown in FIG. 4, the access hole 49 is provided by an arcuate indentation 51 in the face plates 16 and the adjoining flanges 20.

As shown in FIG. 5, the prismatic peripheral portion 23 of the cover 22 has each side provided with two finger holes 53. Whatever the relative angular position between the cover 22 and the frame 12, two of the finger holes 53 will be in registry with the companion access holes 47 and 49 of the frame 12. By simple manipulations, the

4 cover 22 can be broken free, if necessary, preparatory to use of a portable operator at the hole 45. However, the finger holes 53 can be used alone as a means for lifting the cover.

The finger and access holes 49 and 47 are so located that a line between them crosses through the center of gravity of the cover 2 2. Accordingly, if a lifting force is applied at the finger holes 53 of the cover, no net torque is produced by the weight of the cover tending to tilt it about the axis joining the used finger holes 53. The cover, accordingly, readily maintains its horizontal disposition during such lifting, and the cover is readily handled.

The inventor claims:

In a cover structure: a frame having a triangular opening in its upper surface; a downwardly directed flange surrounding said opening; said flange terminating in horizontal cover supporting seats at the corners of the opening; inwardly and downwardly sloping Walls extending from the inner edge of each seat and between the center points of each side flange of said triangle and terminating in an opening which is circular in horizontal projection; a triangular cover seated on said corner seats; and an arcuate lug extending tangentially from the underside of each of the three sides of said cover and adjacent the inner edge of the opening defined by the sloping walls of said frame.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,056,362 Moore Oct. 6, 1936 2,431,082 Sayles Nov. 18, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS 607 Denmark 1896 263,262 Great Britain 1926 311,865 Great Britain 1929 364,360 Great Britain Jan. 7, 1932 367,853 Great Britain 1932 423,434 Great Britain Jan. 28, 1935 492,190 Great Britain Sept. 16, 1938 

